The present disclosure relates generally to wireless network communications and, in particular, to methods, systems, and computer program products for managing access to a wireless network.
Wireless network technologies and associated communications devices have been steadily advancing in performance and popularity. For example, cognitive radio communications have become an emerging technology for smart wireless communications. Early prototypes enable wireless radio devices to find and connect with any nearby open radio frequency. This has the potential to optimize service quality and availability to the user of wireless devices by automatic switching from overloaded frequency bands, or those affected by interference, to other available frequency bands. Cognitive radio technology includes adaptive software that enable alterations of frequency band use based on “sense and remember” of previous usage and availability factors.
Currently, different devices connecting wirelessly to the Internet are limited to a specified network. For example, portable personal computers connect to the Internet using a network accessible on a specific frequency band. Cognitive radio proposes to enable optimized communication transmission by enabling a communications device to switch to an available wireless network on a different frequency when the original connection is no longer available. An illustration might be the automatic network-switching of a cognitive radio-enabled device enabling a single connection to the Internet via different networks on different frequencies while traveling a considerable distance. Thus, an Internet user beginning with an active laptop connection to his own home wireless network may automatically switch to any available network as necessary, such as other open or non-protected residential networks or private corporation local area networks, and/or pay-per-use protected networks during a road trip.
As described above, one disadvantage to this approach is that not all networks “cost” the same to use. Hotel wireless networks are typically notoriously overpriced, while many residential networks currently have no cost at all allocated to other users. These wide-ranging discrepancies in the costs of using another's network resources may be troublesome to users of wireless network devices who have no real certainties concerning the total costs of network usage. In addition, open or unprotected wireless area networks may be subject to security threats inflicted by third parties, as well as reduced bandwidth capabilities when there is unauthorized third party use.
What is needed, therefore, is a way to configure the cost and degree of participation in network usage, such as cognitive radio use.